Growing up in Konoha
by top
Summary: There are moments in life that shape us into the person we will become. Perhaps Naruto had a few more than normal. Moments from his early childhood, from just after his birth to moments before his last prank.
1. A Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sarutobi sadly stared down at the sleeping infant, wondering about its future. He was bone weary although it was neither his age nor old injuries that weighed on him now. The Kyuubi was sealed and it had truly been in a class of its own. Unconsciously he straightened his wet clothes, remembering the recent battle.

The Kyuubi had shrugged off their most powerful attacks as if they were nothing. That was until Kakashi Hatake had cut a bolt of lightning in such a way that it had struck the Kyuubi. It seemed to be the only thing that actually had heard it, for its response had been instantaneous and terrifying.

Swinging its tails into the air it parted the storm to reveal a full moon. No matter how long Sarutobi lived, he would remember that. The sheer raw power needed to disperse a thunderstorm instantaneously was something he could never even approach and to think, all of that chakra was now sealed inside of this little body.

The child woke suddenly and immediately started crying. He wished there was a blanket nearby so he could pick him up to comfort him. Unfortunately, no one had the forethought to bring one and he was still soaked with rain and sweat. He stroked the child's head a familiar motion that had always comforted his children.

"At least the brat's lungs are healthy." Jiraiya shouted over the cry of the child as he approached.

He turned, "what took you so long?" His tone was accusatory and he regretted it.

"Kushina just died."

Sarutobi's hand paused in stroke; this was going to make things even harder on the child. "Did you tell her?"

"What would've been the point but, I think she knew." Jiraiya leaned forward to examine the still visible seal on the child's stomach. "I'm going to be honest; Minato surpassed me a long time ago when it comes to these sort of things. If anyone asks though, I'll back his work to the very end."

"So, your official statement is the seal is strong and it will be no threat to this village."

"Yeah, now if you don't mind I'm going to get drunk. Orochimaru's buying, so, I'm not going to be sober for a while." Jiraiya left without a backward glance.

Sarutobi nodded wondering if he should pass along the suspicions about his favorite student or not. No, he wouldn't, they were just suspicions and Minato had said he just was suspicious of him.

He also remembered the last request that Minato had asked of him before he had set out to delay the Kyuubi's advance. His son should be treated as a hero. Would that even be possible? He still didn't have an official count of the casualties and the ending of the battle had been less than satisfactory. There was so much anger and fear left over from the battle, how could he just dispel that?

"Excuse me," a quiet voice broke into his thoughts. The voice began again even meeker, "um, excuse me Hokage. I'm here for the baby to take it to the hospital."

Sarutobi started. He had been so deeply in his thoughts that her approach had gone unnoticed. She was young thirteen or fourteen and was clearly nervous. That was odd because although he did not remember her face she was young enough that he had talked to her class at least once and surely she had received missions from the Yondaime. So, it must be the child that was unnerving her.

He decided that if he cannot convince her, he could convince no one. "You're studying to be a Medical-ninja?" She nodded." Have you held a baby before?"

"I had a baby brother, I mean I still have him but he's not a baby I mean he still little but…"

Sarutobi laughed softly to calm her, "here give me that blanket." He wrapped the child and held him for a minute. "This baby has already done more to help this village than I ever could and yet, he is still so fragile."

He gently handed the baby to her but he noticed a hesitation on her part. She held the child properly but she held him as if she didn't want to touch it, like if their skin came into contact she would be burned. It was subtle and if he had not been so observant he would've missed it.

As he watched the girl leave he sighed. Konohagakure would be no different than any other hidden village that had created a Jinchuriki. They would fear its very existence. Anger surged through his weary body and he left the room heading towards an office he thought he would never see again.

Nodding to the guards as he passed, he entered the office and found it no longer to be his. Things were different even if only subtly so. The smell of tobacco that had been so thick was gone. Not only that, but there were smaller things, a plant was in the corner, a cluttered desk and even new paint on the wall. He felt like an intruder.

Forcing himself foreword he sat behind a desk. The chair was set for a taller man and he felt guilty for adjusting it. He wrote one draft and then another and another before being satisfied with the wording of his first proclamation of his second appointment.

By this time the sun had started to rise and he rose to attend the first meeting that would confirm the obvious. He tucked the paper in his sleeve to make sure it would be his first official business.

As he left the room he passed the pictures of his predecessors and of his successor. He paused in front of the last, "I'm sorry. I don't think anyone will see him as a hero, but I think you knew that. I will make sure that he is treated as normally as possible and that's a promise."


	2. Good Food Good People

Five-year-old Naruto Uzumaki loved when once a week the caretakers at the orphanage would take them all to the large park. The playground was so much bigger than the one they had at the orphanage and it was not dominated by the older kids who kept all the fun stuff for themselves. Still, although the jungle gym and some of the swings were free they were not what held his attention right now.

Two days ago a masked man had run along the fence that bordered the orphanage and then had jumped to a buildings rooftop. It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened at the orphanage and everyone had been talking about it. He wanted to be able to do that. Unfortunately, he had not even been able to get to the top of the fence without being yelled at by one of the monitors.

So, he was practicing on the abandoned sandbox. The edge was about as wide as the fence. If he could run along it, he would just have to worry about climbing the fence and for that he could practice on the jungle gym. He took a deep breath before starting to run, jumping onto the piece of wood making one then two steps before loosing his balance and crashing onto the sand. Kicking the wall out of frustration he thought, why couldn't he do it? He had been at this for almost a half an hour and to him that was a real long time.

"Hey, Rat boy I mean Naruto. Do you want to play? We need one other to make the teams even."

Naruto rolled over to look up at the older boy. He didn't like the nickname but everyone had been calling him that lately," Play?"

"Yeah come on you want in or not?"

Rolling to his feet he forgot what he is trying to do. He didn't play much with others. When the teams were odd he was always the one kicked out of the game. That didn't mean he didn't want to play with them though. He jumped up and started to run where the other kids were before thinking he might need the older kid to get into the game. He waited for the other kid to catch up, hopping from foot to foot.

As they got closer to the group they were already dividing up into teams, somebody shouted toward them. "We don't need him anymore. Akihiko changed his mind."

"Okay," his companion shouted back. "Sorry, Naruto I guess you can go back to playing in the sand."

Naruto stared at the boys retreating back. "You said I could play," he was angry but his voice sounded brittle like he was going to start crying any second.

"You still want to play? Well, why don't you find somebody else and the two of you can join in." The boy ran toward the others leaving him alone.

His vision started to blur and he could feel tears rolling down his cheeks. It wasn't fair. He was always the last person anyone ever asked to play with them.

Turning he ran away, not knowing where he was going, but knowing he didn't want to be there anymore. Running out of the park he bumped into things some were hard some were soft and others shouted at him as he hit them. He tried to wipe away his tears but it didn't help the world was just a blur. His legs gave out in an alley and he curled into a ball still crying.

* * *

Ten-year-old Ayame casually walk down the street swinging the empty portable ramen container in her left hand. Delivering ramen was not one of her favorite things to do particularly on one of her days off from school, but it got her out from behind the ramen stand and it was particularly hot today.

Her father didn't seem to mind if she took the long way back particularly when he didn't know. Stopping at a few stands she slowly made her way back to the shop. Passing an alley she noticed something or to be more precise someone.

There was a small kid crying in the alley. She looked around half expecting to see a frantic woman shouting for her child. When that failed to appear she looked around for a military policeman, but as per their normal operating procedure they were never around when they were needed.

She sighed part of her wished she could just keep on walking by like the others were. The problem was her parents had raised her too well. She slowly walked over to the kid hoping he would recover before she got there but luck was not with her today.

"Hey, are you okay?" The kid didn't respond. "Are you lost? Looking for your mom? Are you hurt?" The kid didn't even bother to look up at her; she sat on the ramen container out of ideas. After a particularly loud snort from the kid she offered him one of the napkins from the container. He took it, used it and tried to hand it back all without looking up. "Keep it. Can you at least look up at me?"

The kid slowly peered up at her, vivid blue eyes surrounded by a sea of red. She smiled down at him and he seemed to perk up a little. He lifted his head a little higher and she could see strange marks on his face, they sort of made him look like a rabbit. It reminded her of those ninjas who always had their dogs with them. Her father had used to argue with them because they had insisted that their dogs eat at their shop. Eventually they had agreed that a few bowls would be set aside for the dogs, such were the compromises they had to make when living in a hidden village.

Shaking her head she remembered she still needed to help this kid. "Are you lost?"

"No," the monosyllabic word was the first thing he had said to her and after a minute of intense scrutiny he added, "no one wants to play with me."

Those words had been said quietly and she couldn't help but feel bad for him, even if she couldn't sympathize being popular herself. They stared at each other neither knowing what to do next. She took in his tears streaked face and his bloodshot eyes and did the only thing she could. "Are you hungry? My dad owns a ramen shop, I'm sure he will give you a bowl for free."

"Ramen?"

"Yeah, ramen it's like a soup, you'll like it." She offered him a hand up and he hesitated for a long time before taking the offered hand. At first he walked along at her side but towards the end she practically had to drag him along. If she had not held his hand she was sure he would've bolted.

Her father seemed surprised to see her coming back with a little kid but, once he got a look at his face he seemed to understand. They gave him a bowl of ramen he was hesitant at first. He sniffed at it his nose twitched reminding her of a bunny again. Once he finally did taste it, he devoured it. She slipped him another half of a bowl when her father was not looking.

He left with a muttered thank you. Later that day her father took her aside and said he was proud of her. She didn't understand why but didn't ask.

She didn't expect to see the kid again. After all, he probably got in trouble for running away but a week later he showed up. His pockets were full of change but it was not enough for even their cheapest bowl. Her father didn't even bother counting and just gave him a bowlful.

She grew to like his weekly visits and sometimes he even joined her on her delivery runs. Those were a bit odd some of the people seem to hate Naruto. Her imagination tried to spin stories for the reason behind it but, it failed her. Perhaps it had been something his parents had done. She asked him once and he disappeared for two weeks after that.

His visits were mostly uneventful sometimes he just sat there and ate leaving as soon as he was done. Once after such a brief visit a man sat down. He was in his mid-thirties. He was a ninja and he was a bit disheveled as if he had just come back from a mission.

"He is still around," he snorted. "You know I can't believe that..."

Her father interrupted him, "you're drunk, Shuichi and its still early."

The man blinked thrown off-track. After a moment's delay probably caused by the alcohol he smiled, "It's not too early if you haven't slept all night. My last mission went pretty badly." He shot a glare in the direction that Naruto had left in and muttered something she couldn't hear.

His attitude angered Ayame. She had grown used to the occasional glare she received when she walked with Naruto, but most people tried to hide it. Sake had made this guy too blunt. She was just about to say something when her father stopped her with a glance. They needed every customer they could get, but he only smiled when she brought out one of the bowls that they fed the dogs from.

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Next chapter: A Prankster is Born


	3. Prank

Six-year-old Naruto carefully laid down a strip of wet papier-mache upon the toy sword he was making

Six-year-old Naruto carefully laid down a strip of wet papier-mache upon the toy sword he was making. It had just been a stick at first, but because of a slight curve and ample imagination it had become a deadly weapon. He was determined to make it strong so it wouldn't break when it hit another. Swords were popular to make during arts and crafts because the monitors would let them fight with them, as long as they didn't hit each other too hard.

A loud crash of thunder drew everyone's attention to the window as a lightning flash illuminated the room. It was pouring outside. A thunderstorm of unusual intensity was lashing at Konoha. They had been cooped up for almost two days because of it and just about everyone was feeling the stress particularly the current monitor.

It was hard enough keeping five and six-year-olds under control and entertained under normal circumstances but, her aid had been absent for the last two days adding to the stress. Even though she was minus her aid she still had to keep up with all of the classes in reading and writing she was required to give. Not to mention the overall monitoring of the children. Needless to say she was near a breaking point.

Turning back from the window, Naruto took a minute to notice what the other children were working on. A few were working on swords like he was. Most of the boys and some of the girls were working on some sort of shinobi weapon. He paused rolling that newly discovered word around in his head. Shinobi he even liked the way it sounded.

He looked away when he noticed that all the tables were brimming with conversations that had a uniquely childlike intensity to them. He was stuck at the table with Mafumi the snitch. She tattled on everyone for even the smallest infraction of the rules. Ironically, even she had friends, if you were nice enough to her she let some things by but, there had been a planned raid on the kitchen for sweet buns and she had told, thus resigning herself to temporary exile with Naruto.

He went back to work. A moment later he heard the sound of the container sliding across the table. Looking up he saw Mafumi stealing his container of paste. Grabbing the other end of the container he stopped her.

She glared at him, "I need it."

"It's mine," he glared back with equal intensity.

She pulled and he pulled back. They were evenly matched each pulling with one hand. Unfortunately, his side was wet while hers was dry and the inevitable happened he lost his grip. The plastic container which was now only being pulled in one direction went in that direction. Mafumi screamed as the cool plaster spilled all over her.

He was about to apologize when the monitor stormed over. "What happened here?"

"He threw it at me." Mafumi pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, as if there was any one else it could be.

"Naruto," The monitors shout kill objection in his throat. Having his arm yanked him to his feet and marched him over to the nearest corner. "Stay there and don't turn around." She turned and addressed the rest of the kids, "nobody is allowed to talk to Naruto he is being punished. Come on Mafumi let's get you cleaned up."

Naruto winced as the door slam shut. He was sobbing uncontrollably. This was the first time he was really being punished and he hadn't even done anything wrong. He hadn't meant to spill that stuff on her and he was going to apologize, but he hadn't had the chance.

After a minute he became angry. It wasn't fair and crying wasn't doing him any good. She hadn't even listened to his side of the story and why did she have to tell everyone not to talk to him. He hadn't said anything all day except to Mafumi. The monitor didn't have to remind everyone to ignore him.

The more he thought about it the angrier he became. Then he remembered the big bucket of paste that she had filled the smaller containers with. He turned around disobeying her order and not caring. Spotting the paint bucket he walked over to it not exactly sure what he was going to do.

"You're supposed to stay in the corner," one of the kids shouted as he walked by.

"Quiet we're not supposed to talk to him," one of the other kids whispered.

The bucket was mostly full and he smiled at that. If he was going to be punished for throwing paste at someone then he would throw paste at someone. He could only lift the bucket one step at a time.

Step, lift, drop, thud, step, lift, drop, thud, where the only sounds in the room as he slowly made his way over to the door. At first he was just planning on throwing it at her when she came back, but during the long walk to the door he had another idea.

There were shelves full of art supplies right next to the door. In his mind's eye he imagined being up there and pouring the bucket on her head as she opened the door. He had to scrap that idea though when he tried to lift the bucket for the first shelf and couldn't.

That did not stop him though; he was a child on a mission. Pouring some of the stuff onto the floor he lifted it again, it was much lighter. Putting the bucket onto the shelf he started to climb. Progress was slow, he had to move the bucket up one shelf at a time and he had to move his arm up and finally his feet.

His hand failed to find a grip and he almost lost his balance. The liquid shifted in the bucket and nearly pulled him off the shelves. Several large drops hit the floor with a loud plop. There was a collective gasp from behind him and he looked over his shoulder.

Every single pair of eyes was watching him. For the first time in his life he was really being noticed by others. It was a bit embarrassing but, he sort of liked it. Reaching the top he wedged the bucket between the slightly open-door and the shelves. Scurrying back down the shelves he jumped over the puddle of paste he had spilled earlier and sat down waiting for the show to begin.

It was taking forever for her to come back and the room had fallen completely silent waiting. Naruto stared at the bucket willing it to stay in place. After what seemed like an eternity they heard her coming down the hall. The entire room held its breath wondering what was going to happen.

The door swung open and the bucket fell spilling its contents on the woman. She shouted in surprise and shock. The stuff had mostly missed her but that didn't temper her anger. Some of the kids were laughing and she scoured at them until her eyes landed on Naruto.

"Naruto," the kids groaned in sympathy as she began to stomp over to him. Unfortunately for her she was currently suffering from something he would later learn was called target fixation. She was oblivious to the world around her only concentrating on Naruto and not seeing the puddle of paste he had spilled earlier.

She slipped, her arms wind milling in a futile attempt to keep her balance. She fell on her butt into the paste with a loud splat. This time every single kid in the room erupted in laughter some even slipped out of their chairs. Naruto didn't even mind that he wasn't allowed to go to the park that week. It gave him time to plan his next prank. He had found the spotlight and he loved it.

* * *

Next chapter: Hokage


	4. Hokage

Seven-year-old Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to another wondering how much longer this ceremony was going to go on for. It wasn't like he understood half of what the fat man was saying anyways. He just wanted to know when they would get to the actual shinobi stuff. Should've just skip the ceremony like he wanted to but, everyone else from the orphanage was there and he had lost his anonymity lately.

He wanted to go back to his room and lay down. His stomach wasn't feeling too good. Maybe that instant ramen really did take three minutes to heat up properly. He was still getting used to the whole cooking thing but at least he was doing better than some of the other kids. Well, at least he hadn't set anything on fire.

His life had changed a lot recently. First he had moved out of the orphanage and into another one of sorts. It was different in a lot of ways. He had his own room which he was expected to clean. Not only that but he also had to cook for himself. That didn't mean there weren't any adults around, he needed one to watch him every time he cooked his instant ramen but, they were different.

They were more on their own and it wasn't all bad. They gave him a larger allowance now and he could spend it on just about anything he wanted. He could even leave the building between certain hours. That meant he was spending more time at Ichiraku Ramen Bar, but that also meant he got picked on more.

The kid in front of him straightened visibly and the low-level conversations from where the parents were standing stopped. He looked up to see that the fat man was done talking. For a moment he hoped that the ceremony was over, but then an old man in a funny hat started to talk. He was about to drift off again but, everyone seemed to be paying attention to the man, but he didn't know who he was.

On his left side there was another kid from the orphanage, but he was still scratching from his last prank so he probably wouldn't answer his question. He didn't know the kid on his right side. He was wearing sunglasses and a coat which was strange because it wasn't cold at all, he might know the answer to his question.

He leaned a little towards his neighbor and said, "Hey." He didn't get a response so he spoke a little louder, "hey you in the coat."

"What," the kid answered sounding a bit annoyed, but Naruto pushed on.

"Who's the old guy?"

"The Hokage."

Hokage Naruto thought, that sounded familiar. He just couldn't remember where he had heard it before. "Why is he important?"

"He's the leader of the village."

Okay that made sense Naruto thought, but "Why is he the leader?"

"Because, he is the strongest shinobi in the village,"

So that was why everybody seemed to be in awe of him. He was about to mutter a thanks to his neighbor when he saw a bug crawl into his ear. "You know a bug just crawled into your ear, right?"

There was a long pause before the boy answered, "Yes, yes it did."

Naruto made two decisions in quick succession right than. First the kid standing next to him was weird. The second and more important one was he would become Hokage. When he spoke people would listen. He wouldn't be ignored. Maybe he wouldn't have to wear the hat.

* * *

Next time: Iruka (it's going to be long)


	5. Iruka

Iruka stared down at the list of new students. He couldn't believe that he was on the list. What was the Hokage thinking allowing him to train to become a shinobi? Had he not already done enough damage to the village?

Mizuki leaned over his shoulder glancing at the list. "Maybe he'll drop out in the first year. That happens to a lot of them."

Spinning slowly in his chair he addressed his friend. "I can't do this. To face him day after day, I'll switch classes with somebody else or all just quit. I can't be his teacher." His voice was hollow and he might've broken down if Mizuki had not grasped his shoulder and smiled down at him.

"Listen it wouldn't look good if you quit before you even taught your first class. If he has a question, I'll answer it and oversee his training. You won't have to say a word to him."

Iruka smiled up at his old friend. He was so glad that his friend had become a teacher too. "Thanks Mizuki."

"Hey what are assistants for."

He tried to work on his lesson but at the back of his mind he remembered his parents. His mother had never smiled much, but when she had it had been a special thing and it had always made him feel so good. His father had been the more affectionate one and he remembered the hours he had practice with him or just them talking. Inevitably he remembered that night when his world crumbled.

His mother shouldn't have been there that night. She had been hurt on a mission a few weeks before hand and her arm was still in a cast. She had smiled at him and had kissed him on the forehead. Normally, he would have recoiled and complained he was too old for that but, not that time, the last time.

His father gave him a quick hug and said they would be back. He watched as they disappeared into the rain. Ignoring the evacuation order he headed to the top of the apartment building and stared into the rain. He couldn't see the Kyuubi but he could feel it and it was terrifying.

Then the storm cleared in an instant he saw it. Perhaps he went a little crazy. Nobody could blame him he wasn't even a genin yet. He didn't remember running to the front line but something told him he just had to get his parents out of there. He was dragged off before he could find them and earlier the next day he learned of their fate.

Intellectually he knew that the boy who would be attending his class was not the Kyuubi but that did not make the days remaining until the first class go by any easier on him. By the first day of class he had half of the years lessons plans done.

The kids filed in forty-eight in all and probably a third would drop out by the first year. He spotted Naruto even before the first attendance was taken. The whiskers marks on his face were like a warning sign to everybody.

For the first month he managed to avoid him. It was a bit absurd a teacher afraid of a student but that's how it was. Not that it took much effort, the first month was mostly getting them into shape which involves lots of running, setups and push-ups and the like. A few dropped out, but not the one he was secretly hoping for.

After the first month they're divided into groups. If one of your parents was a ninja you go into one group and if not another. The theory is that parents will have taught their kids some things already. It's not perfect and there's always some shuffling. Either way, he was still the main teacher and saw them all either in the morning or the afternoon.

The first time he couldn't avoid Naruto was when he was teaching them math simple adding and subtracting. They may be training to be shinobi but, that doesn't mean a merchant won't try to rip them off. Naruto was staring out of the window and not paying attention. Mizuki quietly taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. It startles him and he shouts, "What" and that draws everyone's attention to him.

He can't ignore it, "Naruto you have to pay attention."

The kid gave him a defiant look, "I already know this and besides when I'm Hokage I won't need to do that sort of stuff."

"Well, then you'll be the first Hokage who doesn't know how much to pay for his own meal." The class laughs at the idea but he regrets his words immediately and quickly tries to move on with class. Mizuki tells him later that he was too hard on the kid and he can't help but agree.

The next day he tries to put the incident out of his mind but when he went to his desk to pull out the test he couldn't open the drawer. It was not just jammed it was stuck. A quick test of the other drawers showed they were all the same. It takes all of his strength to open the drawer and when it finally gives it does so with a crack sending him backwards onto his butt.

Somebody had removed the soft pads and had put wood glue around the edge of the drawer. A quick glance at his class showed the guilty culprit. All the kids were laughing at his expense but Naruto's grin was different it was a grin of accomplishment. He recognized it because it always gave him away when he had been a prankster.

Rolling with it he dumped out the contents of the drawer which is now in his hands and says. "It will take more than that to stop one of my tests." Catching Mizuki eyes he passes on a silent message. He's allowed to get away with it this time an eye for an eye and all that.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the last and soon Naruto becomes a fixture during detention.

Halfway through the year it's just the two of them after school. He was sitting behind his desk grading papers and Naruto was busy glaring at him. Much of his anger towards the boy had cooled and he was beginning to feel horrible about the way he had felt about him earlier. He saw some of himself in the boy but they were also very different. Naruto tended more towards pranks while he had been mostly a class clown which hadn't gotten him so much detention.

Looking up he asks point-blank. "Would you prefer playing with your friends than sitting here?"

Naruto seemed startled by his question. It was the first time he had asked a question that wasn't school related but he recovered quickly. "What friends?"

A simple answer and when he looks into it, he found it to be true. There were a couple of kids who didn't seem to mind his presence but they were fair weather friends. He comes to the realization that Naruto is even more alone than he had ever been. Even at his lowest point he had Mizuki at least.

A few weeks later Mizuki and himself were going over the plans for the survival exercise when they heard shots from outside. The students were just starting to come in for the day and at first he thought it might be a fight. Glancing out the window he was just in time to see a water balloon crashed into the ground.

Somebody was on the roof throwing water balloons at any students who tried to enter the building and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was. He and Mizuki ran to the door that led to the roof only to find it jammed. While this would have stopped normal teachers they were foremost shinobi. They climbed out of a window and up the building.

Naruto had climbed on the security fence that surrounded the rooftop with two buckets full of water balloons secured to the fence. They approached quietly before he shouted, "Stop." Naruto turned with a water balloon in his hand and grinned devilishly. "Naruto put that water balloon down."

When he came back from changing his shirt he pulled Naruto out of detention. "Listen Naruto I want to talk to you but not at the Academy. Is there any place you like to go?"

"Ichiraku Ramen Bar," Naruto exclaims.

They go there and he treats him to a bowl while talking about his childhood. He says that he thinks he's just acting up for attention but it's better to work hard and be praised for his good grades. The lecture has more of an impact on his wallet than Naruto.

By the end of the year he has grown to like the kid. It was graduation day and the Academy is mostly empty but he has paperwork to catch up on. Entering the classroom he freezes for a second as he sees Naruto staring out of the window at the new graduates. For one horrified 

second he thinks that he is prepared a prank for the graduating class. "Naruto what are you doing here?"

Naruto jumped and said quietly, "I'm just watching."

"Oh," he follows his gaze outside at the graduates. "I guess you wish you were out there huh?"

Naruto makes a sound of agreement but then suddenly springs to his feet. "Hey, what's he doing out there? He can't be much older than I am."

"That's," it takes a minute to remember the kid's name. "Hideaki he is an early graduate."

"How did he do that?" Naruto demanded.

Sensing a way to convince Naruto to study harder he decides to tell him. "Well he studied very hard and was able to skip classes he was already proficient in." Hideaki case was fairly rare in these times of peace, but he didn't see a reason to tell Naruto that, if it would convince him to study harder.

"Can I do that?"

"If you study hard," he could tell that Naruto was thinking about it.

"I'm really good at running and that sort of stuff. So, do I have to take those classes?"

He paused before answering thinking about how he should handle this. Naruto was extremely fit it was his only strength. In theory he could opt out of those classes to take additional academic ones as long as he passed all the fitness exams. It was unlikely that Naruto could sustain such an effort for long but it might inspire him to study harder. So, he explained it to Naruto.

Naruto proved him wrong. He passed every single one of his fitness exams with flying colors. His academic and weapon grades did not improve. He never failed but he soon drifted to the bottom of the class. Iruka regretted his decision but Naruto wouldn't give up.

He took his first graduation exam at ten and Iruka was glad when he failed. He wasn't ready. The next year he took the exam again and Iruka emptied his wallet to console him. Naruto failed a third time and he wouldn't pass until Iruka lost his best friend.

* * *

Report cards

Iruka leaned back in his chair and sighed. It was report card time and while the grades have been calculated for all the students he still had to write the comments. As the primary teacher he was expected not only to comment on their grades but their overall attitude and for some of his students that was hard.

Every single one of his students could improve a little, but he didn't want to get any of them in trouble either. At their core he believed there were all good kids. However, there were nine in particular that were difficult to summarize, as the wads of crumbled paper around his desk would attest to. Picking up his pen he decided to try one more time.

Choji Akimichi tries very hard. He brings an enthusiastic attitude to his academic classes. However, he is constantly snacking, I don't know where he hides all the snacks but he does share. Also, he once stole the Hokage lunch when he came to give a lecture. This is how I know he does not use his full potential during the athletic part of the day.

Shino Aburame is a pleasure to have a class. He is a diligent student and works very hard. However, while he seems to get along with everyone he has not formed any close friendships. Also, there is a possibility that he is using his bugs to cheat on tests. I suggest we set up a meeting to discuss this.

Hinata Hyuga is a diligent student. She is to be commended for the effort she put into her work. However, she should be encouraged to participate more in class. Also, if she could speak a little louder she might do better with group projects.

Shikamaru Nara does not cause any problems in class. He is someone that others students in the class can turn to for help. However, he seems to be a bit lazy and does the minimal amount of work asked of him. I suggest you encourage him more. Also, while he does not cause any trouble he never seems too far away when it does happen.

Ino Yamanaka is a very good student. She has good grades and should be commended for her work. However, she is easily distracted by her friends and must be separated from them in class. Also, she has apparently threatened to poison several of her classmates.

Kiba Inuzuka is an athletic student. He is well liked by others. However, he does not bring the same enthusiasm to his academic work. Also, there is a hygiene problem.

Sakura Haruno is an excellent student. She is at the top of her class academically. However, she should be encouraged to spend more time on the physical part of being a shinobi. Also, her confidence in herself is low. I wish I had more like her.

Sasuke Uchiha is at the top of his class. He is the ideal student. However, he is shy and as a result does not get along with others. Also, he does not seem happy with his excellent progress.

Naruto Uzumaki brings a unique energy to class. He is enthusiastic about many aspects of being a shinobi. However, he is frequently a distraction in class and always seems to be causing trouble of some sort. Also, he seems to have no interest in the academics classes.

Iruka leaned back in his chair and sighed wondering if he was being fair to all of his students. There was so much more you could say particularly about Naruto. In fact he could probably 

write a ten page report on Naruto and still only scratch the surface. Then there was Sasuke who didn't seem to be happy with just being the top student, but how could he mention that to his parents. Sighing he decided to go with what he had, it was late and these cards had to go out tomorrow.

* * *

Next time: Naruto invents his first jutsu.


	6. Jutsu

Naruto's second year at the academy was a lot better than his first. He was finally starting to learn real shinobi stuff. The extra classes he was taking weren't much fun but, he didn't like all those fitness classes anyways. At least he got picked on less when he was in a classroom.

A tap on the back of his chair brought his attention back to class. Iruka sensei was talking about something or the other. It was a history lecture which meant it was boring. Why should he care about what happened in the past, how could it affect him? Unless it was about the Hokage, he didn't really care. Although, he still found it hard to believe that the old man was so strong.

"So, as you learn more about Jutsu think about how you can make your own. After all having a unique Jutsu is the mark of a great ninja," Iruka said finishing his lecture.

"And when will you get around to making yours Iruka," Mizuki added causing the class to erupt in laughter.

The bell rang dismissing them for the day. Naruto sort of regretted not paying attention. He wanted to be a great ninja to become the next Hokage but Iruka had a way of making everything seem so boring. Oh well he decided to get the short version of the lecture. At first he had not liked Iruka that much but after awhile he had grown to like him besides anyone who liked ramen had to be a good person.

He waited for the class to leave before approaching Iruka, "so, is that how you become a great ninja?" He smiled as Iruka started to give his abbreviated lecture. It worked every time.

Naruto went to bed early that night to think about what he had learned that day. To be a great shinobi he would have to invent his own jutsu and it didn't have to be anything complicated a variation on a basic one could do. Even though Iruka had said it would take years to develop one Naruto was sure he could do it now. The problem was he wasn't very good at any of the ones they taught at the academy. After thinking about it for several hours he gave up and went to bed.

A few days went by and he still couldn't think of anything. He was sitting in detention for a prank involving open windows and lots of birdseed when he overheard a conversation between Mizuki and Iruka who were grading their homework.

"I can't believe you blew it with her last night, what happened?"

"I'm not like you," Iruka glanced over at Naruto. "'_Beautiful_' women confuse me."

Naruto's mind started racing. In one of his advanced classes they were learning about the importance of distractions and ways to confuse the enemy. What if he could create a jutsu that would distract people? It was simple but it might work. The problem was he didn't know what a beautiful woman looked like. They pretty much all look the same to him.

Later that day he was on his way to the secondary orphanage when he turned into a convenience store to pick up some more instant ramen. Passing by the magazine rack he did a quick double 

take. At the very top far out of his reach was a row of magazines that were blacked out. While ordinary he couldn't see the covers and in fact had never given any thought to them before there was something different this time.

One of the magazines had not been put in properly and he could barely make out the words Beautiful Women Inside. Glancing around he tried to find someone to get it down for him but the store was oddly empty. Shrugging he started to climb, luckily the rack was bolted firmly to a wall. The magazine he sought was almost within reach when something else caught his eye.

There was a bunch of little red books right below the magazine. He had seen them from the bottom and hadn't thought much of them. The title was Icha Icha Violence which sounded weird but now that he was closer to it he could see a blurb below the title. From a great shinobi comes a great book.

Picking it up, he examined the cover carefully. If this had been written by a shinobi, maybe he could learn something from it. It looked weird and the cover was weird. He was just starting to wonder if he had enough money to buy it and the magazine when someone shouted.

"What are you doing? Get down from there right now."

Turning Naruto saw the old man who ran the shop. Dropping down he smiled up at the man and pointed at the magazine, "Can you get that for me?"

The old man looked up at what Naruto was pointing at. "No, I will not get that for you. What's in your hand?" The book was grabbed out of Naruto's hands before he could even protest.

Not understanding why the old man was so upset Naruto said, "I have the money."

The old man was rubbing his temples as if he was trying to ward off a headache. "I can't sell you this."

"Why not," Naruto was now confused and annoyed.

The old man put the book back on the shelf. "Listen that's a perverted book and you're too young to look at it."

"What's perverted mean?"

It's possible the old man seemed even more annoyed with him, "Listen it wouldn't be responsible for me to let you buy that book, okay."

Naruto had heard that before every time he asked to look at some of the older kid's books. The teachers would say it was either dangerous or irresponsible for them to do it. Sighing he asked, "Can I at least have that magazine?" Before he knew what was happening he was thrown out of the store and the close sign was put in the window. He was left outside of the store without a 

picture of a beautiful woman minus a book and perhaps most importantly of all no ramen. Dejectedly he continued on his way.

A few days later he was walking down the street annoyed at the lack of progress he was making. No one would tell him what a beautiful woman looked like. Some of the teachers had even yelled at him. The old man was watching him like a hawk every time he went into the store so he couldn't even get a glimpse at the magazine. Kicking a stone against the fence he noticed a poster.

It was a poster for a beach resort on it a woman was holding a beach ball and winking at the camera. Above that was the name of a resort followed by the line "Where the women are as beautiful as the weather."

Pulling the poster down, he ran to his room locking the door behind him. He went into his private bathroom which was small but had a mirror in it. Unfolding the poster he frowned, she didn't look like anything special to him, but maybe it was an adult thing.

He tried to notice the small details like they told him at the academy but this time he had all the time he needed to memorize them. The first time he tried the Transformation Technique it was all wrong. He tried it again and again until he was exhausted and collapsed into his bed.

For the next three days he tried his hardest to transform into a woman in the picture but there were two problems. The first was the whiskers marks on his face he couldn't seem to get rid of them. The second thing was the bikini it kept changing shape sometimes it was bigger than it needed to be and sometimes it was smaller. Frustrated he gave up on the bikini all together and just covered those areas with smoke.

After a week of practicing, he decided it was ready. He waited until they had a test on the Transformation Technique. When he was called down he ignored the log he was suppose to transform into and instead concentrated on the image in his mind. After a minute there was a puff of smoke and he stood there transformed.

He held it for a minute before releasing it. Then he turned to see what the teachers had to say about it. Mizuki was staring into the distance with the glazed look in his eyes. Iruka response was even better he was on the floor apparently having some sort of seizure. Success!

* * *

Next time: Sakura


	7. Sakura

Sakura Haruno first memory of Naruto was when she was only five years old. She had been walking with her mother when she saw a small boy in an alley. Pulling on her mother's hand she stopped her. For a moment they both gazed at the boy.

"Leave him be Sakura." Her mother pulled on her hand and she started to walk again but she glanced back once and wondered why he was so sad. She would forget this memory for a long time.

A few years later she was at the entries ceremony for the Academy. She was nervous and a bit angry, her father wasn't in the audience and he was the one who wanted her to go to this place. As soon as the ceremony ended she ran to her mother and asked if they could go home.

Her mother had smiled down at her and said she should try and make some friends among her new classmates. Disappointed she had turned around and gazed at the group of her classmates most had already broken into pairs or small groups clearly everyone seemed to know someone.

A tuff of blonde hair caught her eye. The boy it belonged to was alone. She thought it would be easier to approach an individual rather than a group, but as she took a step towards him her mother caught her shoulder. "Look there's Machi, why don't you say hi?"

Machi was a girl that lives a few doors down from them. They had played together but only because they live close to each other. Still, she was used to obeying her mother, so she abandoned the boy.

The first few weeks at the Academy went well for her, she liked learning and it was fun. Her father was proud of her every time she brought home a test with a perfect score on it, but soon her grades would get her into trouble.

"So, Sakura what did you get on the last test, another perfect score?" Chizuko a girl she had a tentative friendship with asked. If Sakura had been better acquainted with the politics of childhood that infected every classroom and at times could rival the Hidden Villages alliances in complexity, she might have recognized the trap.

Instead she smiled and held up her test which was only marked by a simple _Perfect _scroll across the top of it.

"Well I suppose nothing gets lost in that large forehead of yours," Chizuko and the girls behind her erupted in laughter.

That was the first day she would go home crying, but not the last. After spending a little time with a mirror Sakura had to admit her forehead was large. She fought with her mother for the right to change her hairstyle, something that her mother had always decided on before.

She wanted to hide it as best as she could. Unfortunately, the teasing didn't stop. wanted to height Sakura wasn't used to being teased and easily broke into tears. That was until she met Ino. She gave her confidence and a best friend.

It was a few weeks after she was befriended by Ino that she had another run-in with Naruto. She was just arriving at the Academy when she saw two boys standing over a third who had crawled up into a defensive ball. During her short time of being bullied she had grown to detest it and almost before she knew what she was doing she was running towards the group shouting, "get away from him."

The site of a small girl running at two larger boys couldn't have been that intimidating but something scared both of them off. She kicks some dirt at they're retreating back before she turned to face the boy she had rescued.

There was something odd in his expression. She didn't know what but his eyes held her for a minute and suddenly he exploded upwards wrapping his arms around her neck in a tight embrace. She blushed furiously and the situation was made worse as several of her new friends rounded the corner. Fortunately, the warning bell rang and she darted towards the classroom.

For the entire morning she had the feeling that she was being stared at but didn't have the nerve to look away from the teacher. When lunch rolled around she sat with her friends on a bench and thankfully no one mentioned the incident from the morning. That was until she went to throw away the paper bag that had formally held her lunch.

When she turned back around he was standing in front of her, smiling and holding out a fistful of dandelions. At first she didn't want to take them but he wasn't getting out of the away. When she took them he said, "thank you for this morning." The word sounded odd to her untrained ear but he ran away so she shrugged it off. Of course her friends had seen it and she had to spend the rest of her time insisting that she didn't like him.

Later she talked to Ino about him, "I don't even know who he is. I just helped him."

"He's Naruto, remember the kid who threw the water balloons from the roof?"

"Oh yeah," She vaguely remembered him now. He always seemed to be getting in trouble.

She had put some of the dandelions he had given her into her pockets earlier and now she took them out now letting them fall to the street. They had been her first gifts from someone who wasn't a family member but, she couldn't let a trouble maker be her friend.

Sakura thought that would be it, but she was wrong. He always seemed to be around and whenever she was alone he was there trying to talk to her. It became embarrassing and her friends started to tease her about it. She told her mother about it and she said to make sure to stay away from him because he was trouble.

When the end of the year came around she hoped he would lose interest in her but that proved again not to be the case. She tried to ignore him, but as his pranks became bigger and bigger it became harder, especially when she found them funny.

He wouldn't leave her alone and soon rumors started to spread. By this time she had developed a crush on Sasuke and didn't want the rumors getting back to him. She's decided to flat-out ignore his existence but he seemed immune to this. When they were twelve he asked her out and she turned him down in a very loud way.

When she graduated and he didn't she was happy at first assuming they would never see each other again. Then she saw him sitting alone on the swing and for a moment she pitied him. It didn't last long, somehow he became a Genin and when they were assigned to the same team she knew that some omnipotent being was having a joke at her expense.

* * *

Next chapter: Apartment


	8. Apartment

October tenth, the one day Naruto actively tried not to get into trouble. It was his tenth birthday and as soon as he was let out of the Academy he was going to run back to the orphanage and head straight for his room. Every year since he had entered the Academy without fail there had been a present on his bed from the Hokage. There were always something different last year he had received a set of new kunai and shuriken, which had been great because he had always hated borrowing the ones at the Academy.

The second the class ended, he was up and out via the closest open window. Luckily the class was on the first floor and he was running through the streets a second later. Cutting through the communal room he noticed somebody talking to the caretaker but it was mostly a blur as he raced up the stairs and burst into his room, to find nothing on his bed.

At first he thought it might have fallen off of the bed or something, but a quick search came up empty. His thoughts turned to darker possibility, maybe it had been stolen. That had happened a few times when he had been younger and he received an extra cookie or something on his birthday. Besides only himself and the caretaker could get into his room so, that was unlikely. Then an even worse thought occurred to him. Maybe there wouldn't be any more gifts.

Dejectedly he sat on his bed. It wasn't so much that he had not received a present as much as he had thought somebody cared about him. Okay everyone here received a present on their birthday from the Hokage but, they were different for everybody.

There was a knock at his door and he glanced up irritated, his expression turned to shock. He had left his door open and now framed in the doorway stood the Third Hokage.

* * *

There were few perks to being the Hokage Sarutobi thought as he left the office. For the most part one day was like another. Give out missions, read reports, attend meetings and then to round out his day assigned missions for tomorrow. There was little to break up the tedium. Although every few months there would be a mission that required his personal attention but, it was rare that he get any breaks in his schedule. Then occasionally days like these came up and he had a legitimate excuse for putting off his paperwork.

Like most hidden villages Konoha had more orphans than normal. This was to be expected considering everything and like most hidden villages they try to make as many of the orphans into shinobi. The problem was becoming a shinobi involves learning things that could be potentially deadly to yourself and others. Normally parents would be expected to keep their children in line but that became a problem with the orphans.

The simple solution was a secondary orphanage. It was a place where young Academy students could learn the skills that would be otherwise taught by parents and hopefully mature them. The last step in the program was to give them an apartment. It was a bit lavish but it served two 

purposes. The practical reason was that they would soon be genin, which meant that they could come and go at bizarre hours and this way they would not be disturbing others. The other reason was a bit more underhanded. As orphans many of them would not have much tying them to the village. It was hoped that such a lavish gift would help tie them to the village.

Naruto was a bit young but it was a possibility he could graduate this year, although none of his teachers seem that confident. Still it would give him a chance to talk to him and he did have a special interest in the boy. He would've tried earlier but, if he is shown any special interest in him, it could have made his situation worse. It was a long time since he had been a child, but he could still remember the walls that had existed between himself and his peers.

Walking into the building he chatted with the caretaker for awhile. She was just relating to him Naruto's latest prank, which had involved a length of rope tied to his neighbor's door knobs preventing them from leaving their room. Clearly she was not regretting his leaving today. As she was described how she had to cut the rope, a blond haired boy ran through the room and up the stairs. He excused himself and followed.

He had visited the Academy enough that he recognized Naruto on site even without his distinctive marks on his face. Naruto wasn't someone who blended into the background easily or willingly, right now though he looked as if he wanted to disappear. Knocking on the door frame he asked, "May I come in Naruto?"

Taking his smile as an invitation he quickly glanced around the room. It was surprisingly clean for a kid who just turned ten but if it hadn't been he wouldn't be able to make him this offer. "You're ten today and by the end of the year you might be a genin, congratulations. This requires a special gift, how would you like your own place?" Judging by the way his eyes lit up this wasn't going to be difficult.

It didn't take him long to pack, a few changes of clothes, lots of ramen, a rather worn picture of a bikini wearing woman and they were ready to go. They talked as they walked and Sarutobi noticed that he seemed truly happy to be leaving the orphanage. That struck him as odd because although he had done this many times with other children there excitement was always tempered by a bit of reluctance, but not Naruto.

The building that Naruto would be living in came into view and he pointed it out. Naruto complained of a living on the top floor at first but, he told him to think of it as training. He allowed Naruto to unlock the door for the first time and smiled as he gasped in amazement. His new apartment was easily four or five-times larger than his previous room and it even had a veranda. The place had just opened up and he was glad that he could give it to Naruto.

He allowed Naruto to explore his new surroundings for a while before laying out the rules. He had to keep it clean, he couldn't miss any of his classes and his sensei would occasionally stop by to check up on him. Then he called him over to the veranda to appreciate the view of Konoha.

"This is Konoha. It is why we become shinobi, to protect this village. Everyone I care about lives in this village and I would fight to the death protect any one of them. It was always like that for me though. When I was your age I only cared about a few people, but as time went on I met more and more people and I grew to care about them as they did for me. Remember you're never alone, if nothing else I will care about you and I'm sure there are others you care about or care about you. Do you understand Naruto?"

Naruto had been staring into the distance as he gave his little speech an unreadable expression on his face. He suddenly perked up and pointing at building exclaimed, "Hey, I can see Ichiraku from here."

* * *

Next time: Friends?


	9. Friends?

The first thing Naruto did once he was alone in his apartment was run to his bathroom, then his kitchen, bedroom, veranda and back again. This place was huge and it was all his. Exhausted he threw himself onto his bed, it was firm and new. Deciding he was hungry he went to make himself some ramen, it was weird not asking for permission, but kind of fun.

He ate in his bed, because he could. The novelty wore off quickly and he moved to the veranda, sitting down he let his legs dangle off the side bare feet swinging in the air. He tried not to think about what the Hokage had told him. There were people he cared about the old man and Ayame for example. Then there was Iruka sensei and even Mizuki sensei was nice but, they were all so old. The only person close to his age that he cared for was Sakura and she was ignoring him.

The nice feeling he got when he thought of Sakura was tempered by the uncomfortable truth of the fact that he had no real friends. It was depressing. His isolation was not new, but either the Hokage's words or the silent apartment had made him more aware of his loneliness. At the orphanage there had never really been silence like he was surrounded with now. There had always been noise there, playing, shouting and even after lights out whispered conversations as kids visit each other.

He would've cried if he hadn't given that up a long time ago. It never helped anyway and most of the time made things worse. His melancholic thoughts had made him lose track of time and the sun was beginning to wane. Getting up he threw himself into his homework with an unfamiliar passion. One of the assignments was on geography and its uses in combat. It was one of the few assignments where his imagination could run wild and his mind was soon occupied with the great battles he would have.

By the time he finished all of his work, it was dark and he decided to go to bed. Checking to make sure his door was locked, he noticed a note on the back of the door that he'd missed earlier, it was a list of locations of stores. His new apartment was on the opposite end of the village from where he used to live. So, it sort of made sense that he wouldn't be shopping at the same stores he had before but, at the very bottom of the list was a location of a nearby park. He decided to go there tomorrow.

The next day he stood outside of the park. It was a small enclosed area with a few trees, some benches and a small swing set with a slide. There was a kid from his class Kiba already on one of the swings. He got along with him okay, but he went to the slide anyway. Shikamaru and Choji drifted in both of them were fellow classmates of his and they played alongside each other until their parents came to take them home, leaving him alone again.

That day seem to have started something. Before they had been at best acquaintances, but as they played near each other they became closer somehow. They weren't friends. At best they could be described as a pack united by their relatively low grades and a penchant for causing or at least getting into trouble.

In the end Kiba was too much like Naruto and they fought a lot. Shikamaru wasn't bad but he liked to stare up at the clouds and that was boring to Naruto. Choji was always with Shikamaru. Besides when their parents would come and collect them at the end of the day, he could feel something hollow in himself. At the orphanage he had been alone but, so had everyone else and he had not fit in there. Now he was with people he sort of fit in with but he still didn't fit in. Something was missing.

He started to take long meandering walks home. One of his walks took him along the canal and that was when he noticed another kid. It was Sasuke the new genius in his class; he thought he was too good for everybody else and never talked to anyone. The girls talked about him a lot. He was always kind of jealous of him but right now he looked so sad, his back turned to the world gazing over the water. He was tempted to go down and try to talk to him or something but it was late and he kept on walking.

The next day he took the same path home only to see Sasuke sitting in the same spot again. A memory from a few years ago came back to him. For several days all anyone wanted to talk about was a massacre that had happened. Sasuke had been the only survivor. Something clicked inside of his head and it certainly an odd thought.

Maybe Sasuke wasn't stuck up. Maybe Sasuke was just lonely like he was. It kind of made sense they were a lot alike. Neither of them had families or friends. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea, it sounded true. He took a step towards before another thought occurred to him. What if he was wrong? That thought scared him and he left without Sasuke ever knowing he was there.

From then on Naruto took that path home. He would see Sasuke sitting on the small dock gazing over the water and Naruto would walk by without saying a word. He would make up little stories about how they could become friends but never dared to approach him. Sasuke was somebody he could understand and could understand him, but he would never talk to him because he was afraid he could be wrong and then he would be truly alone.

* * *

Next Time: Orange (oh come on like you never wondered)


	10. Orange

Eleven-year-old Naruto began packing up his belongings as the second hand ticked away the last few seconds of class. The moment they were dismissed he darted for the door only to be stopped at the last second by the dreaded words, "a moment of your time Naruto." He froze just as if he had been pinned with a kunai. Frantically he tried to remember what he might have done to get himself in trouble but he came up blank. Well he had been eating during class but so had Chouji and he wasn't being held back.

"Yes, Iruka sensei," when in doubt be polite and stall for time.

Iruka waited for the class to empty before gesturing for him to sit. That was not a good sign, Naruto thought before reluctantly taking a seat.

"Listen Naruto, I will admit that you're doing a great job keeping your apartment clean and everything else but." Iruka reached over and tugged on his collar putting his finger through a whole. "Don't you think it's time that you buy some new clothes?"

"I can just sew them up," Naruto said relieved that he was not in trouble.

"Have you spent all your money for this month already?" Iruka asked leaning in conspiratorial.

"No," his objection was loud enough to send Iruka backwards and stumbling over the chair. Naruto would have apologized, but he fed Gama-chan as much as he could and right now he was very fat.

"We'll listen," Iruka said picking himself up. "Why don't you go shopping for some new clothes, over the weekend?" He held up a hand stopping Naruto's protests, "a shinobi represents their village. If you look bad your village looks bad, got it."

Later that day Naruto stood in front of his bathroom mirror. He never liked being told what to do but after taking a good look at himself in the mirror, he had to admit that Iruka sensei might be onto something. His white shirt with the Konoha leaf symbol on it was frayed at the edges. There were several of his attempts at sewing and grass stains that despite his best efforts had not completely eliminated. His pants were in similar shape and in truth he had abandoned several of his other shirts as too small.

Sighing he opened Gama-chan. His little frog wallet was full with bills and change. He had been saving up for a festival that was going to happen in a few weeks and intended to use the rest to buy more scrolls but, he probably already owned all the scrolls an Academy student could buy anyway. Closing his wallet he decided that if he didn't have to clean these clothes again then he might as well go all out today.

The next day came around and he was up bright and early. This was actually the first time he had actually gone shopping for clothes. At the orphanage they had just given them clothes to wear and at the secondary orphanage they had been allowed to buy their own but, he had just bought whatever he needed at the secondhand store across the street. At first he was going to do the same thing this time but something that Iruka had said stuck with them. 'If you look bad your village looked bad.'

Up until now clothes had never been a big deal to him, but he would be graduating this year so he had to look good, now if only he could figure out what that meant. It took him awhile to find a store that sold the appropriate clothing for his age and gender, but after searching through the racks he didn't find 

anything that looked good to him. So he went to the next store and another and another. Nothing struck him as good.

Lunchtime rolled around and he went to his favorite place to eat. Inhaling the delicious aroma of the most perfect food in existence he forgot about his troubles. Unfortunately, this blissful state of existence only lasted until he had finished his bowl. Then he had a brilliant idea, "Hey, Ayame you're a girl right?"

"So nice of you to notice," she growled from where she stood cleaning the dishes.

Naruto recognizing the signs of an angry woman cringed away raising his hands pleading. "I just thought you would know what good clothes look like."

"Oh," stepping away from the sink she leaned against the counter a thoughtful look across her face. "Well some people say there are rules but, I think the clothes you wear should say who you are."

"Like your say you're a cook?"

"Not exactly," she muttered. "Just find something that you like and that reflects your personality. You'll do alright."

"Thanks Ayame," Naruto shouted before running off with a newfound excitement for his task. Running back to one of the stores he started to rummage through the racks. Finding only monochromatic brown, black, tan and blues he dismissed them not liking any of them. They were so dull and just about everyone in town wore something like them. He wanted something different, something that would make him stand out. After all he was going to be an awesome shinobi.

At the end of the rack he finally found something that was different. Grabbing the first one he took it to the nearby mirror. It looked great and he was pretty sure he had never seen anything like it before. Perhaps this would have been his purchase if the owner had not wandered by.

"Oh, I thought we had thrown out all those. Really who would want to wear plaid?" She shook her head and continued to restock the racks.

Naruto had overheard her comment and it immediately killed his enthusiasm for his new wardrobe. If these were supposed to be thrown out they couldn't be good. Quietly he replaces the shirt back onto the rack and left the store. He was becoming frustrated and bored buying clothes shouldn't be this hard. About to give up for the day he caught something of the corner of his eye. It was a bright orange sleeve only a little lighter than those cones that they put up at construction sites.

Squinting at it he noticed a white swirl on the sleeve. It took him a moment to remember where he had seen it before. Then he remembered and his imagination dyed the white red and then it looked just like the symbols that Chunin and higher-ranked shinobi wore on their sleeves. This immediately peeked his interest and he headed into the store. Pulling off the rack he noticed that it was two tone, mostly orange but with some blue at the top and a high white collar. He noticed that it had a swirl on the back and this time it was the proper red color.

A grin slowly spread across his face as his ample imagination turned these clothes into a Chunin vest or even better into the uniform of a Jonin. He intended to buy it even before he found the accompanying 

pants. They were a bit big but he was growing and the fabric seemed to be really strong. Running back to his apartment he couldn't wait to see Iruka reaction.

* * *

Iruka wasn't sure how he had done it but, somehow he had let the entire weekend pass by without going over any of the homework. That was why Mizuki and he were frantically trying to grade a stack of papers as their students drifted in for class.

"I see you talked to Naruto about buying new clothes," Mizuki said.

Iruka nodded before realizing how odd that comment was. Looking up he saw Naruto standing a few feet away dressed in what appeared to be a costume. That was the only explanation he could think of for the odd design and bright orange color.

He would've told Naruto that bright orange was not necessarily the best color for shinobi to wear but the pure joy that was summed up in Naruto's radiant smile stopped the words in his throat. He told himself that kids grew a lot at this age and he would probably only be wearing those clothes for more than a few months, right?

* * *

Next time: Graffiti (last chapter)

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Authors Note : Thanks to Jonohex for the plaid idea.


	11. Graffiti

Twelve-year-old Naruto counted the remaining days till graduation on his calendar. Three weeks left, three weeks until he would become a Genin and start his new life. Once he got his Hitai-ate things would change for him. People would have to acknowledge him then. After all what was more respectable than being a Shinobi.

He had no doubts that he was going to pass this time. After all what were the chances that they would test them on the Clone Technique again. That had been the one thing that had tripped him up on his previous attempts to graduate. If it had been any other technique he would've passed easily. Now that he was twelve though there was no way he could fail.

About the only thing he would miss about the Academy would be his pranks. They had been a lot of fun especially when he had been chased. He grinned as he thought about how many times he had gotten away. Well that was until Iruka would track him down. That man had a knack for finding him. He was going to miss all that.

Leaving his apartment he had a thought. Why not pull something big off, something that the entire village would notice and remember. That wasn't going to be easy though. Most of the time people forgot about the stuff he did quickly. Although, there were still a few little kids who seem to remember the fountain incident.

In the middle of Memorial Park there was a large fountain. He had poured a lot of liquid soap in it when it had been running. The fountain had mixed it up and the bubbles had poured out. It had been like some weird white frothing wall that had slowly taken over the park. Kids had come from all over to play with the bubbles. He hadn't intended for that to happen but, it had been nice to have a little company while he had cleaned it up. Getting rid of soap bubbles was virtually impossible especially when he just had a shovel to swat them with. He probably would still be at it if it hadn't rained.

Yes, his last prank had to be something big, something the entire village would see and remember. Something that shouted Naruto Uzumaki was here. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything. He was better at making things up as he went along then planning them out.

Giving up on the idea for now, he indulged in one of his favorite pastimes fantasizing about the future. Gazing up at the Hokage Monument he imagined his face up there for all to see. With more than a little satisfaction he remembered that the next face carved up there would be slightly higher than all the rest and of course that would be his. He would love to see some people's expression as they saw that every morning.

A thought occurred to him, as he pictured himself up there. Could he do something to the monument or more specifically should he?

That was a conundrum that he didn't spent much time on. One day he'd be greater than all of them combined and then everyone would know who he was, but what should he do to it? It 

couldn't be anything permanent but, it would have to be something everyone could see. Maybe he could paint it but, where would he get the paint?

Fortunately, at that moment he passed by a garbage bin that had several paint cans in front of it. Considering it was garbage day in this part of Konoha it, wasn't exactly an exciting site for normal people. Naruto on the other hand was not normal and he practically saw this as an endorsement of his future art project. He barely had enough time to run them back home before class started.

Later that day he inspected his slightly stolen materials. Prying the lids off with a kenai he was disappointed to find that all six cans were bone dry with the exception of one and that only had about an inch of white paint left in it. He was disappointed but, he had learned a valuable lesson check before taking.

For the next several days there was a mysterious figure creeping through the streets of Konoha in the early morning hours. Its prey was discarded paint cans. Spotting one he would pounce and rip off the lid. If pleased with the contents he would take it but, most were empty.

After a weekend half of the early-morning prowls he wasn't exactly pleased with his haul. He had a lot of green for some odd reason along with some blue and red but, it didn't seem like enough. Sighing he took out his wallet and apologized to the frog before removing several bills. He didn't like spending money on pranks but, this was a special occasion.

The only hardware store he knew about was halfway across town. As luck would have it they were selling their mistakes that day and he was able to pick up two cans of paint cheap along with two brushes. The man gave him one of those looks that he hated but, he didn't say anything and Naruto beat a hasty retreat. Upset he tried to hurry home but, his good luck ran out for the day.

"Naruto," a familiar voice called out. Under any normal circumstances Naruto would be happy to run into Iruka because free ramen was always a possibility but, right now he had some rather incriminating materials on him.

"Hi Sensei… what are you doing here?" He plastered on a smile and tried to look innocent.

"Shopping," Iruka held up a shopping bag from one of those nearby stores. "What do you have there?" He asked suspiciously nodding to Naruto's brown paper bag.

"Paint, I'm going to paint my room. Bright yellow with a white ceiling," he silently congratulated himself on his quick thinking. After all he was allowed to paint the inside of his apartment if he wanted too.

"You're painting," Iruka asked suspiciously. "You know you should be concentrating on graduating. The test is only a few days away."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to do it after I graduate as a present to myself. I'm sick of the white walls the store had a sale today though." He surprised himself with how easily he was able to cover his tracks but, he felt guilty when he saw what looked like a pitying look in his Sensei eyes.

"We'll tell me when you're going to do it and I'll see if I can help you."

Naruto nodded as they parted ways. The unexpected meeting had killed some of his enthusiasm for the project but, he was so close and it was going to be so much fun. The last thing he needs to get was ropes and that was as simple as borrowing them from the Academy without anyone noticing of course.

'P day' arrived and he got up early hardly able to contain his excitement. Making several trips from the apartment to the top of the monument he was almost ready to go. The classes at the Academy were just starting but, he wouldn't be missed for at least twenty minutes. Besides he wanted an audience.

With a methodicalness that would have surprised anyone he knew he prepared the set up. The first thing he did was divide the white can of paint among the empty cans making sure there was at least an inch in each one. After that he tied ropes to the handles and moved them to the edge. With an unusual forethought he removed his coat and tied it around his waist before he got the rest of the cans ready. The second he started painting he knew people would notice.

To hit all four faces he would have to be careful. Pre-lowering the cans he secured a rope around himself just like the Academy had taught him and went over the edge. Starting with the First he moved under his nose and poured the contents of the white bucket down making it look like he had a runny nose. Tugging firmly on the rope it released from above and the bucket dropped to the ground with a plunk. From there he moved quickly from spot to spot making it up as he went along. One looked like he was wearing bad makeup while another one had a tick tack toe game on his forehead.

He saved the Third for last. It wasn't for any special reason he simply had to climb up to do him. By this time there was a crowd from down below and somebody shouted at him to stop. Pausing in his work he turned and waved for a brief second then went to apply the bright yellow paint to the Third's eyes. Before he could put the brush to stone somebody shouted from above there were two unfamiliar Chunin racing down towards him.

Grinning he repelled down the side quickly dropping the last ten feet to get a head start. Shouting a taunt over his shoulder he began to run with the yellow bucket still in hand. The chase after all was half the fun.

* * *

You know the story from here.

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Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Warning shameless self promotion begins here. Judging by some of the reviews a lot of you here read the uprising. Well I'm going to post the beginning of the sequel after next week. It will be called Shadow Alliance. Shameless self promotion ends here.


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